Already, the city's lowest-performing schools, which are often in the poorest neighborhoods, have trouble attracting experienced teachers with full certification.

That would be outrageous, particularly for a region that historically has had some of the lowest-performing schools in the country.

We've already expanded public school choice for those whose children are in the lowest-performing schools.

But two work in the chancellor's district, which includes some of the city's lowest-performing schools.

The first is attracting the most talented teachers into the lowest-performing schools.

The resulting court order required that he place all newly certified teachers in the lowest-performing elementary schools.

Ms. Hall said the restructuring of 35 middle schools and the efforts to improve performance at the system's 100 lowest-performing schools had clearly worked.

The city's lowest-performing schools were supposed to hire only certified teachers starting in 1999, but they did not comply.

A resulting court order forced him to place all newly certified teachers in the lowest-performing elementary schools.

Among other things, it would also help build new high school laboratories and lengthen the school day by 45 minutes in the lowest-performing schools.